Percy Keese Fitzhugh facts for kids
Percy Keese Fitzhugh (born September 7, 1876 – died July 5, 1950) was an American author. He wrote almost 100 books for children and young adults.
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About Percy Keese Fitzhugh
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Percy Keese Fitzhugh was born in Brooklyn, New York. He went to the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn. He married Harriet (Hatti) Lloyd LePorte on July 13, 1900. His first known book, The Goldenrod Story Book, came out in 1906.
His Famous Boy Scout Books
Most of Fitzhugh's books were about Boy Scouts. These stories took place in the made-up town of Bridgeboro, New Jersey. Some of his main characters were Tom Slade, Pee-Wee Harris, Roy Blakeley, and Westy Martin. Each of these characters had their own series of books.
Fitzhugh also wrote Boy Scout stories for another series. This was called Buddy Books for Boys. It featured different characters and situations by many authors. In total, the publisher Grosset & Dunlap released almost 70 of Fitzhugh's books.
Where His Ideas Came From
Even though there is a real town called Bridgeboro in New Jersey, Fitzhugh's stories were inspired by his own hometown. This was Hackensack, New Jersey. Many places and features in his fictional Bridgeboro were real places in Hackensack.
His Boy Scout characters were also inspired by real boys. They came from the local Scout Troop in Hackensack. Fitzhugh's stories were exciting but also believable. The characters in the Roy Blakeley series often had funny conversations. This made the stories more popular. It also added a sense of realism. This was something many other "boys' series books" of that time didn't have. Most of Fitzhugh's Boy Scout books were officially approved by the Boy Scouts of America (BSA).
Why His Books Were So Popular
Fitzhugh's Scouting books were very popular with both kids and adults. His characters felt so real to readers. Sometimes, Percy would even get fan mail addressed to the characters themselves!
It's hard to know exactly how much Fitzhugh helped the Scouting movement grow. However, many people believe that thousands of boys joined the Scouts because of his books. His character "Pee-wee Harris" is still featured in a comic strip today. You can find it in Boys' Life, the official magazine of the Boy Scouts of America. This is almost 70 years after Fitzhugh passed away!
Later Mystery Books
In the 1930s, his Boy Scout stories became less popular. So, Fitzhugh started writing mystery books. He wrote the Hal Keen Mystery Series (10 books) under the name Hugh Lloyd. These were also published by Grosset & Dunlap. After that, he wrote another mystery series called Skippy Dare (3 books). Neither of these series became as popular as his earlier Boy Scout work.
Percy Keese Fitzhugh died at his home in Oradell, New Jersey on July 5, 1950. He was 73 years old.
